Gyaware:

This village is located at the end of a dirt road right before Kakum National Park. Some of the farmers' fields touch the park, and elephants, who don't recognize artificial human barriers, leave the safety of the park and feast on the farmers' crops. The name of this village, Gyaware, means "Too far to come marry you."



This village really feels like it's near the rainforest. It was raining when we were there, and it's a well-known fact that trees attract clouds and precipitation. It did not rain when we visited other villages that were not near a piece of rainforest.



Pictures of Gyaware.



Women and girls.


Pictures of the chief cocoa farmer. Left, shortly before he demonstrated what sorts of sounds elephants make. Middle and right: receiving donations of machetes and chocolate bars.


Left, another part of the village. Middle, shingles are manufactured ahead of time and then stacked to keep them well aerated so they don't rot before they're used. Right, a smokehouse.


Left, a game commonly played by children. Involves passing a rock around a circle while a rhythm section plays and gradually accelerates the beat. No one wins and no one loses--typical of a society where the group is more valued than the individual. Middle, evidence of elephant damage to farmers' crops. This is a good project for an enterprising engineer: how to use technology to outsmart and elephant. Right, we are entering neighboring Kakum National Reserve. Vegetation is quite thick, and yet elephants will plunge right through, causing tremendous damage.


Left, Mark Phillips taking pictures of children, who love to be photographed. Middle, a strikingly attractive young girl. Right, Stan took this picture of us stuck trying to drive the road to Gyaware. I made the mistake of allowing the right wheels to leave the road. Stan and Mark found some lengths of bamboo, which they slid under the right wheels. I then backed up, taking advantage of gravity, and twisted the front wheels to the left, allowing the back wheels to position themselves fully on the road. Problem solved. It was hot and humid, and we all got our exercise.